Shabir was brought up in a family of artists; a world of creativity, of images, of painting and poetry; art was part of life.

It can be hard being the artist of a famous Father but Shabir has emerged as an artist in his own right and with his own distinct style. As with all influences shared family passions may be prevalent in his work, such as his love for his country Kashmir but Shabir can celebrate his painting which is both of its time and timeless in particular his lyrical line and strong use of colour.

In his images we are pointed to the suggestion of a narrative. But unlike Alec and Nidhi’s paintings which also use figuration, Shabir’s line is subtle and considered and there is a particular softness which at the same time intrigues. His knowledge of what makes a successful painting allows him to expertly lead the viewer around the image so all is explored and every inch of the canvas is put to best use.

In this particular series of paintings, Shabir uses a pared down palette, each work holding its own particular colour. This is another and quite clever use of abstraction. So just as some artists use minimal line and form to achieve the abstract in their work in Shabir’s paintings he uses not only abstracted forms and line but it is his use of pared down colours which gives us an altogether different viewing experience.